The Johari window, a graphic model of interpersonal awareness

Abstract

The Johari Window, named after its creators Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, depicts aspects of interpersonal interaction in an easy to understand graphic. The OPEN pane of the window are those things in my life that I know about and that you know about. Things like my gender, height and approximate weight, or other messages that I intentionally convey to people. This is my basic public personality. A very private person such as a hermit might always maintain a narrow OPEN pane, and conversely a strong extrovert might quickly share lots and lots with others quickly. The HIDDEN pane of the window is my collection of things that I keep to myself. These might include my favorite brand of chocolate or my erotic preferences. I can choose not to share these parts of myself with others because I may consider these private. The BLIND pane of the window is occasionally called the 'bad breath' quadrant. You know this about me, but I don't know it about myself. In the course of our interactions you might choose to tell me things in this quadrant. The advantage of having friends is that my BLIND quadrant shrinks by others telling me about myself. The UNKNOWN pane of the window is that which is hidden from me and from you, even though it may affect our relationship